Former Ghana international Asamoah Gyan has opened up on why he chose to join Legon Cities over his boyhood club Asante Kotoko, despite many expecting him to make a move to the Porcupine Warriors.
Gyan, who returned to Ghanaian football in 2021 after a long absence, revealed that he initially intended to use Legon Cities as a stepping stone to join Kotoko. However, his stay at the club was plagued by injuries, which left him frustrated and unable to maintain his fitness level.
In an interview with UTV, the former Udinese striker explained that he had made the decision to stay in Accra and play for Legon Cities because of personal commitments. He also reached an agreement with the club that he would not travel for away games far from Accra.
Gyan admitted that he was keen to play for Kotoko before retiring, but his injuries meant that he was unable to maintain his weight and fitness level. He wanted to use his time at Legon Cities to prepare himself for a potential move to Kotoko, but ultimately decided to leave the club due to his frustration with his fitness issues.
"I was clear that I would play for Kotoko before retirement. I'm a huge Kotoko fan. It was between Legon Cities and Asante Kotoko while I was heading back to Ghana. I made the decision to remain in Accra and play for Legon Cities since I had a few things to attend to in Accra. I reached an agreement with Legon Cities that I would not travel with the team for a game far from Accra, and they agreed," Gyan said.
"At some point, I was bombarded with injuries and was unable to maintain my weight. So I became frustrated and decided to let it go. I wanted to use Legon Cities as a stepping stone to move to Kotoko. I wanted to play at Legon Cities and score some goals before joining Kotoko because it's a big team so I needed to prepare myself well."
